Two Households, both alike in dignity
by owl13
Summary: read it inside. Not going to be a Romeo Juliet plot, the first line just fits the story as the title. Nothing else is the same. RS.
1. Default Chapter

Ok. Basically Robin and Star are boith wealthy and their parents decide to marry them. But they don't know each other yet, so they both just run away. Then meet. The rest is a surprise. They won't die or anything though, like Romeo and Juliet, the first line just fits the story well. So enjoy!

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"You went to finishing school! You learned how to become a perfect hostess! You learned French, rather unnecessarily in my opinion, because the school told me it was all the 'rage'! That's more than enough for you to take your proper place in society!"

"Father, do you not think further than the next gala? Then the next coming out party? I want to see the world. And not at the side of some old man, I want to experience it! I learned French, but what about Italian, Greek? I learned how to properly greet any guests, but not how to talk about politics! Conversations about weather only last so long! There are new Universities for women…"

"University? No man will want to marry a woman more educated than him."

"Then he."

"There! That proves my point! You think that any man will want to marry so bookworm of a young lady, who wants to discuss politics? You say I care too much about our respectability? Well you care too little about it!"

"I don't want to marry some man like that awful Thompson who showed up three months ago. It took all my energy to rid myself of him and his incessant prattling. He didn't want to hear my opinions either!"

"So that's what happened, eh? You chased him away? Well not too many more suitors as eligible will come by and I intend to see that you marry the next one."

"Father, did you miss all that I just said? I do not want,"

"While you're in my house, you will obey MY wants. There will be no more talk of University! No go and prepare for the ball where you will meet Robin, your LAST suitor."

"He will be my last, because I refuse to get married!"

"When did you have any say in this! His father and I have worked it all out between us. Think of it, the children of a railroad and oil tycoon. It's a match made in…"

"Hell," Starfire muttered underneath her breath. Then winced as she saw her father's face rapidly change color. For someone who was deaf to her please of 'high education' he certainly had good hearing when it came to other matters.

"What did you say? Is this what you learned in finishing school? No suitor will ever want you with a mouth like that. Now go before you anger me further."

Starfire stomped out of her father's study as dignified as she could in those horrendous heels that were 'all the rage'. She could barely even walk in them. Besides, beneath the layers upon layers of her dress, her shoes were invisible.

Perilously climbing the steep spiral staircase to hr room, Starfire thought about what just occurred. Clearly, there was no way of convincing her father to let her attend University. She removed her shoes and gazed out the window of her tower room. She had chosen it because of the vantage, now she realized just how isolated she really was.

Reaching under her bed, Starfire withdrew a small wooden box. Opening it, she took out an oddly shaped metal contraption. After sneaking book after book up to her room and then studying each book, Starfire had been able to shape a crude lock. Securing the lock on her door, she snapped it together. If she could not do as she wanted and go to University, at least she would not do as her father wanted and attend the horrible gala at that spoiled boy's house.

Reaching back under her bed, Starfire withdrew one of the books hidden between her mattress and the boards constructing her bed. Sighing, she began to read.

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"I cannot believe this!" Robin stormed, pacing up and down the room. "You convince me to finally come home with a pretense of being on your deathbed and what happens? I find out you are trying to arrange a marriage between me and some girl who probably doesn't have two thoughts in her head."

"She comes from a very wealthy family. Her father is in charge of the largest oil company …"

"She has money! She's so respectable! Her social status is quite commendable! I will not stand here and let you coerce me into ruining the rest of my life. I am leaving now, and even if you are on your deathbed, I will not be coming back!" Robin glanced one last time, then collectedly walked out of the room. Glancing in a mirror, he was dismayed at his appearance. His black hair hung over his brown eyes and his skin was red in odd patches. Then raising his head, he turned, then using a retractable "gentleman's cane" he smashed the mirror. Why should he cater to his father's whims? He was dammed if he would ever care about how he appeared to others.

Gathering the small luggage he had brought into the house, only a few hours before, Robin called to the manservant. After his horse was properly prepared, Robin attached the small luggage and galloped away.

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Star smiled, still entranced by the book of modernized fairy tales. Almost instantly though, she began to frown. After reading, and thoroughly enjoying, the stories of elves and other creatures, she had come to the inevitable "princess in need of rescuing" section. She detested how girls were portray, as weak indecisive creatures. It was always the man who rode out and saved the defenseless girl.

"Why do men seem to have all the fun?" she muttered angrily. Then a twinkle came into her sea-green eyes. "Why do they?

"If I were a man, my entire life would be different. No one ordering me to attend those godsforsaken balls. Or to not ride so fast. Or not to stay outside when it is sunny, or to always wear a hat.

Not hesitating the slightest, Starfire picked up her small pair of sewing scissors. After giving up sewing after another argument over "womanly" things, Starfire was happy to see the scissors being put to some purpose. Slowly but steadily, she began clipping her long hair. Or trying to at least. It seemed the useless scissors were even useless when trying to cut a single hair.

No wanting to wait at all for fear some reason should come along to dissuade her from her newest flash of brilliance, Star quickly knotted her hair, then wrapped it in a scarf.

Star was dismayed when she realized that she didn't have any clothes besides her fancy layered dresses. And there was no way she could sneak out in those. Stripping down, until only her petticoats remained, Star quickly grabbed a small pouch. Filling it with the necessities such as money and a comb in case her hair managed to fall out, Star glanced out her window. The large oak tree, turned slightly a rust color from the fall stood very close to her window.

It could work, she thought hopefully, then slid open her window and after taking a running start, leapt for the closest branch.

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Robin slowly felt his tense muscles relax. He slowly became adjusted to the familiar jolt of a horse and it's shifting muscles. Slowing down its pace, he reflected carefully on his life. Born a privileged oldest son, to one of the richest families had it's perks. But he sometimes wished he could have had a choice in the matter.

Don't get him wrong, he knew how lucky he was. And he was reminded of it every time he tried to invite one of his friends from the university. He winced remembering their reactions to seeing the exquisite carvings and the fancy gilded staircase.

And it always seemed that whenever he came back to school, he seemed to have miraculously have gotten several new friends who were eager to point out the time they had spoken to him in the halls o0r joined him on a forbidden jaunt to the small town located only a quarter mile from the dormitories.

Deciding that as long as he was in a spat with his father, he knew his anger would wear out eventually and his belief in his obligations to his family would once again prevail, he might as well make the most of it. Aiming his horse toward the nearest port town, Moxley, he decided to try and see what he could of the world before he was caged back in.

And he, as well as any 19 year old boy, had heard of the famous gambling houses of France.

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Starfire reached out her hands ready to grasp the tree.

And fell painfully short. Rubbing her aching backside, Starfire leaned against the tree trying to pull herself up.

"I wish someone had broken that fall," she muttered to herself.

Just then, James the stable boy, walked by wheeling his wheelbarrow full of what appeared to be soft, fresh dirt for the garden.

"You're a full two minutes too late," Starfire informed the boy.

"What?" Clearly, James, not the brightest of the bunch, had missed her entire daring escape. Which was just as well.

"Look I need you to do me a favor," Starfire whispered to James, in case the head gardener was lurking about.

"Wait, why are only wearing your underwear? And why are you limping? And how did you get out of your room with the door locked?"

"Take me to the stable and I'll explain everything."

James sighed, he knew Starfire too well. Realizing the only way to get some answers was to comply with her orders, he carefully leaned the wheelbarrow next to the tree and escorted Starfire to the stables.

After he unlocked the stable door, Starfire quickly went over to where she knew he kept his clean clothes in case of an accident or in case he needed to look good quickly. Going into an open stall and closing the door behind her, Star checked for any cracks in the door. As kind as James was, he was a young gentleman and not above bowing to certain "temptations".

"So are you going to explain what's going on, Star?" he asked, after checking around to make sure no one could hear him.

"That's part of the problem. You can't even call me by my preferred name without worrying my father will catch you and yell at you for making me too masculine. I wonder why I didn't do this before," Star filled him in on the rest of the story. Then quickly wished she hadn't.

"Absolutely not! Do you know how dangerous it is out there for a naive, unaccompanied young woman?" James demanded.

"I already told you," Star said curtly, trying to pull on the britches the correct way. Pulling on her most constricting corset, Starfire carefully checked the small mirror that she had brought. As far as all outwardly appearances were concerned, she was not a boy. "I'll be naive, unaccompanied young man."

"I forbid it," James declared resolutely.

"Oh very well," Star sighed dramatically. She had finished changing and walked out of the stall. "Is this the correct way the clothes should go?"

"No, the shirt has to be tucked in like so," James helped Star make the necessary adjustments.

"Very good then. And I'll give up this silly idea. Would you just check the stall for me one moment?" Star asked politely.

As James went in to check the stall, Star quickly shut the stall door behind him.

"Wait! Let me out! You can't do this to me!" James whispered urgently. As much as he would have loved for someone to come and rescue him, he realized if anyone else saw Star in her borrowed clothes, he would immediately be fired.

Star sighed and carefully let her father's best horse out. She was quite tall for a girl, measuring 5'8" and easily fit on the horse. As she let herself out of the stables, she heard James and his continued muttering.

She sighed. James, not the brightest in the bunch, hadn't even realized that the lock was on the inside. He could let himself out anytime he wanted to.

Wheeling the horse around, Star felt for her small pouch containing all she needed. Refusing to glance back at the house, she began to ride for Moxley. Her cousins had spoken quite highly of Paris and the further away she went, the better.

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Robin carefully laid his small items, he always carried on him in the small dresser on the ship. He hadn't been carrying enough money for a single room, but was curiously optimistic about his roommate. Robin felt sure it would be a boy about his age, just as eager to experience the world. Who knew? Maybe he would make a friend who wasn't nice to him because of his money. Robin sighed. The only person who didn't care about money was probably one just as rich as he was. And god knows he was sick of dealing with the polite nothings of the wealthier class.

And who was he kidding? Taking his father for example, even the wealthy cared about money. Or at least making more of it.

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"What do you mean there are no more single rooms?" Starfire asked.

"I'm sorry but there's a large group of elderly persons who have booked all of our single person cabins." The steward looked bored. "Would you like a male or a female double?"

Star was about to say female when she realized that with the way she dressed and her unusual height for a female, she would be far to easy to describe. Resigned she said "Male," then bent over the forms that the steward shoved at her.

A slight smile twisted the corners of her mouth upwards. The steward must have been extremely bored to have even offered her a choice of rooms. She wondered what would have happened had she requested a female room.

Setting her horse free, Starfire knew it would find its way back. She had only ridden two miles or so and the horse was well used to the roads.

Glancing down at the small scrap of paper that was her ticket, Starfire carefully made her way through the dizzying array of cabins. Eventually finding one marked 13, Star smiled. While not considered a good number for others, it was her lucky number. Turning the knob, Starfire prepared to meet her roommate.


	2. chapter 2

Hey, I am so sorry this took so long. Due to recent circumstances, I have not been able to access my computer. So I could only read fanfics not type them. But hopefully everything should work out. And I got my computer back so here's the next chapter. If you really demand an explanation, I leave you with this thought: hospital food really is that bad.

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Robin saw the knob turn and the door creaked open. He was happily proved correct in his predictions as to his who new roommate would be. The other boy had most of his hair under a regular sort of hat, but a few strands escaped showing the boy's brown with hints of red hair color. His eyes were a dark shade of emerald green, reminding Robin of the small pond filled with moss back home. Quickly brushing his home from his thoughts, Robin continued to size up the other boy. The boy looked about his age, but the boy's unusually wiry frame gave the appearance of being younger. The boy was also about an inch or so taller than Robin, though it wasn't that noticeable.

Starfire smiled at her roommate, lucky number indeed. The boy looked about her own age and was certainly muscular enough. He had black hair, that was somehow different from most other boy's cut even though she couldn't place what kind it was exactly. And his eyes were a strange mixture of varying light and darker brown rings. He was certainly handsome …

Starfire mentally chided herself. What boy would be interested in an unknown girl who was taller than him and didn't even have any status let alone a respectable name.

Speaking of which…

"What is you name?" Robin asked. The other boy seemed unused to these sort of situations, he was just sort of standing there.

"Starf… I mean Star. Star." Star mentally cheered as she suddenly became the much more preferred shorter version of her name. She glanced at the other boy who seemed to be hiding mirth of some sort. "Star Johnson," she added, much more confidently than she felt.

"My name's Robert Miller," Robin lied with ease. Unlike Star, he had his story all planned out, he had carefully constructed it on the ride over.

Star notice the difference between her and the other boy, Robin's, responses. Deciding to steer the conversation away from person stories, Star tried to maintain a careless attitude.

Robin was half grateful when the other boy began to talk of other things. The conversation brushed on politics and sports, never delving too deeply into anything. On the other hand, Robin was slightly disappointed he couldn't tell Star his carefully constructed past. He had worked quite hard on it, but it was better off this way. No mistakes to get caught up in.

Starfire, who I will now refer to as Star for time's sake (4 letters takes a surprisingly long time to type), was also glad that Robert did not pry into her life. It made the whole business easier.

Her thoughts were completely disrupted however, when not even two minutes after the ship left the port, she was quite overcome with the rocking motion of the ship. Things went downhill from there.

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"What did you have for breakfast?" Robin asked Star. He held the basin below her mouth which was already only scant inches away from the floor. She had decided, after careful review, that being sick was best accomplished in a crouching position.

"Too much," was her curt reply, before resuming her earlier activities.

Robin resigned himself to silences, waiting for the other boy to finish so he could replace the basin with a newer, cleaner one.

Which, needless to say, didn't stay that way for long.

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Star lay on her bunk, a hollowed shell of her former self. After finishing with her earlier sickness, she had thought she felt all better. Then Robert had convinced her to have some carefully made soup. And the whole cycle had started over again.

When she had finished that she noticed that as tired as she was, Robert looked even worse.

'I don't know why I didn't think of it. All I lost was some food. He had to spend hours in an uncomfortable position watching some strange boy throw up. And clean up as well. He was quite nice about it though,' Star watched the sleeping boy from across the room.

Now that she wasn't on the spot, she could enjoy a more leisurely look at her new companion. He was about her age, though he seemed older. His eyes were now closed but Star easily remembered the dark green of before. It seemed to play tricks on her, looking almost lighter when he was happy. And much darker when he was uncomfortable, she recalled his blurry face from her earlier excitement. Placing her questions to the side, Star settled on an explanation of his vast experience. Or at least greater experience than she had.

Moving on, Star was reassured by his muscular body. Clearly he was not one to turn up sports and even had a tan to prove it. Star rubbed her own hand which in this light appeared to be even more tan than usual. If there was one feature she would have liked to get rid of, it was the tan. At all the parties she had went to, before she had begun her now infamous practice of somehow wrangling out of every party she was invited to, she had always been stared at because of it. And according to the numerous dressmakers her father employed, it was almost impossible to find a good color to suit it. Star remembered the multiple purple dresses, the only color that seemed to ever be good for her, as a girl at least. Now she was a boy the tan was much better, helping to aid her image of a boy who was able to take care of himself. And her height helped. At dances she had always bent her knees somewhat to it was hard to notice, but just enough to get her to the proper height of a girl. And she never wore any of those new, heightened shoes.

After this digression, Star was ready to return to her evaluation of Robert, only to find out that sometime during her thoughts she had closed her eyes. And there was nothing that was going to make her reopen them.


	3. chapter 3

OK, here's the deal. In case you hadn't noticed, I've been slow with my updates. Basically, I have a disease (not cancer but similar) and have to undergo various treatments. Because of this, I am spending a lot of time in the hospital etc. And when I get out I'm often weak and unable to do a lot besides stay in bed and read or finish my work. I love to write fan fiction (even though I know I'm not the best) and I still and going to try and continue this story. However long it takes. I am very sorry about all of this and I completely understand if you are annoyed by this. I promise I am doing my very best and am trying my hardest to get this done as quickly as possible.

The next few days passed by in somewhat of a blur. Star had found herself once again able to eat, but contented herself with only the plainest of foods, mainly bread and an assortment of butters and jams.

She and Robert gained a sort of friendship. The whole seasickness had greatly helped to break whatever ice might have existed. He even accepted her peculiarities and after the first time, never questioned why she refused to change in front of him and to use the communal bathrooms. He decided not to ask about that last one. He just assumed Star was shy and since the other boy had never even told Robin much about himself, there was no way to confirm or deny this thought. It just remained, hidden in the recesses of Robin's mind. As Robin and Starfire, or Robert and Star, became closer, they began to discuss subjects more in depth, such as school. While Star was always careful to hide her school name, Robin realized that with all the boys attending his multiple schools, it was doubtful that she would ever know him. And with the multitude of schools her had gone to, he could always claim to have left the school a year or two before the other boy entered it. A reoccurring topic were the merits of teaching Latin. While Robin was decidedly against it, he claimed it dead and useless and his bad grades in it didn't improve his opinion, Star was enchanted with it and loved to study it. She made quite a few convincing arguments in favor of teaching a language that was so historical and that so many languages were based off of.

During one discussion of this, the two boys went off on a rather unusual, and in Star's case especially intriguing, tangent. She didn't remember who it was exactly, but one of them brought up the point that both boys and girls were taught Latin and the conversation proceeded from there. Star was at the very least amazed at what Robert had to say.

"While I hate the language, you know that by now, I'm damned glad it's taught to girls. They know so little, personally, I can't stand their pointless squawking about the latest fashion and gossip. I'm so relieved that they, or at least some of them, are taught something useful, even as remotely useful as Latin, because otherwise I don't know how I'd put up with them."

"What are you talking about?" Star asked, quite bewildered.

"Well you must not have gone to many parties or something but haven't you ever tried to carry a conversation with one of them. Sure they look nice and sing fine and play piano, but is that all that they will ever do in their lives. When I marry a girl I'd like to be able to at least carry on an intelligent conversation with them. Teaching them Latin is the first step toward teaching them anything and I can at least have a few sentences about it such as whether they like it or not. I can't stand empty conversations with giggles and eye flutters. I have to stop myself from asking them if they've contracted a disease from a horse every time girls flutter their little eyelashes. The sad part of it is the few simpletons out there who enjoy the sort of thing, ruin it for the rest of us who want to be able to actually talk to a girl."

Star was quite amazed. Here was a boy who went against everything her father said. He had even implied, albeit unknowingly, that her father was a simpleton. For the thousandth time since she had met Robert, Star wished she had met him before she took the journey. She didn't kid herself, even as a girl she would never have attracted a boy like him, but she wished she knew people like that were out there. Now she had ruined her reputation and was doomed to spend the rest of her life doing god knows what in a foreign country. She didn't even know how much farther she could go before her money ran out. Unbeknownst to her, a small tear trickled silently down her check.

While she didn't realize it, someone else did.

"I do say," Robin couldn't stifle the lordly sentence of surprise. Quickly reverting back to his common form he continued, "Are you feeling well?"

Star was startled; she hadn't even realized what she was doing. "I'm fine. Its just the wind stinging my eyes. I'm going out."

Before Robin even realized what happened, she was out the door, leaving the door swinging on its rusty hinges behind her.

"But we're in a cabin. There isn't any wind," Robin said, more to himself, as he gazed after the other boy.

He had no idea what was going on with the other boy. Not for the first time, he wished he knew more about Star's past. Every time he brought it up though, the other boy seemed to somehow dodge around it, evading all of Robin's questions.

Sighing, Robin lay back down on his bunk. He needed to think.

Star mentally slapped herself. How could she have allowed herself to slip up like that.

"The past is over. There is nothing that can be done about it," Star whispered to herself. Sighing, she looked over the side of the ship.

In time to see a crescent of land appear in front of her.

Rubbing her eyes again, Star narrowed her eyes but the land was still there.

Her morose thoughts aside, Star was filled with elation. They had arrived at France.


End file.
